Replies to This Discussion

My thoughts on sex: It's an amazing thing - especially when shared with someone you love. And as an atheist myself, I see sex as just a good form of mutual expression of feelings, whether the feelings are mental/emotional, or just straight up physical.

I personally think 15 is a perfectly fine age. That's how old I was. So long as it's at least a little meaningful, then sure. I'm not a believer of Christianity, but a very firm believer in love.

And yes, I definitely think it's okay to have sex for fun! Most Christians do that now anyways, so it's not like we're totally off-track with that.

More than one sex partner is a thing that I think is up to the two people. It can be okay so long as your current partner is okay with it as well. I'm personally too jealous for stuff like that. ;P

It's such a straightforward topic that we atheist sometimes neglected it. Probably because we don't have a god watching our every single move.

I think everyone should be able to explore their own sexuality at an age that it might be appropriate, mid/late teens sounds good to me, but always responsibly and with the consent of both parties. So, sexual education it's very important.

About the amount of sexual partners, well meanwhile you're not hurting anyone's feelings and everyone you're having sex it's fine with it, go ahead. I mean, if you're fooling around and just having sex bodies and everyone consents to it, there's nothing the matter with it. But, if you are supposed to be in a monogamous relationship and you start fooling around and your partner is not ok with that, well that's another story.

In my opinion, sex is a form of communication. I also feel that sex should be seen as meaningful. That doesn't mean it can't be fun. Sex is fun. As for the minimum age, I don't know that we can really set one. It depends on the maturity of the individuals involved. Some people are mature enough to handle sex in their mid teens, and some take longer to be ready. As long as they are mature enough to consent and handle sex responsibly, I don't see a problem with it. I believe in love and monogamous relationships, but truly it's none of my business what other couples do as long as they both agree to it. If swinging is their thing, then more power to them. I just wonder how meaningful sex is if it isn't consistently between two people who love each other.

15-16 or thereabouts I guess, depending on maturity level and societal factors.

Would you have sex just for fun?

Yes.

Is it okay to have more then one sex partners?

Yes. Also, "more than".

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Removing religion from the equation demystifies the whole thing and there is no longer the associated expectation of feeling guilty in particular and emotions in general. I don't know too many religious people, but some of the ones I do know had to get married to have sex. Safe to say, a relationship based upon the lust and desire in the beginning of a relationship quickly sours, and all of them have since divorced. Better to base it upon love with sex as a cherry on top.

The only very strong argument for there being an age restriction on sex is one involving pregnancy. If, because of immaturity, two people bring a child into the world that cannot be cared for, it is highly immoral and will likely lead to great suffering. As far as being "too immature to handle it" is concerned, such choices can be made more effectively by the involved parties, since they have more information regarding their own readiness than outside observers.

You cannot state, based on your own experience, what the age for everyone ought to be. This is nonsense. Of course, having no restrictions does leave scope for predatory behaviour and STIs etc, but formal education should help this. And importantly, the cultural stigma around sex means that young people are not exposed to it in a home environment, which makes them ignorant and more vulnerable to the dangers, such as predatory behavior. The casual education that might flourish without stigmatizing laws could be highly effective.

When thinking about the benefits of an age restriction (or any restriction) it should be considered that such a measure involves the trampling of basic liberties (which is arguably the greater crime). It may also result in many innocent people's lives being ruined by arbitrary laws. Punishment should be on a case by case basis, taking into account the evidence, not based on a blanket law that functions without evidence.

I think the answers to all of these questions are up to the individuals involved. I find nothing morally wrong with sex when it is between any number of consenting persons. I have my own preferences, and I certainly don't want anyone telling me how and when and with who to have or not have sex. I'd like to pay others this same courtesy.

I also do not think that being ready to have sex really has anything to do with age (other than you're developmentally able to do so), but I do think that we as a society should share what we know with our youth so that when the time comes they can make an informed decision. Having sex means taking on new responsibilities, and only you can decide when you're ready for that. Unfortunately, many religions think that it is better to leave our youth in the dark, so that when they do decide to have sex (and some of them will - denial does not change this) they (and we as a society) can suffer the consequences of potential infections and pregnancy (and healthcare costs, and welfare, and foster care/adoption, and overpopulation, etc).

My thoughts on sex: Not sure what you are expecting as answers for this, but I'll do my best. Sex can be two (or more) people, enjoying each others bodies (i.e. purely physical), or sharing the love they have for each other (i.e. emotional as well as physical).

Minimum age of virginity loss: I think this is heavily dependant on the individual. The absolute minimum is probably somewhere around 13 years old (this is the very early maturers only). Ultimately it is up to the individual, if they feel they are ready and have a partner who they are ready to do it with, then go for it. Might be worth noting here than I also believe sex ed should be part of school curriculum from grade 5 or 6 onwards.

Sex for fun: Yes. I've been with my partner for 9 years, and only now has she fallen pregnant.

Sex with more than one partner: At the same time, yes. Seperately, also yes. Seperately, but one is a long term emotional partner, still yes, but only with permission.